Shinde's 'RSS, BJP terror' remark based on facts: Khurshid

Shinde's 'RSS, BJP terror' remark based on facts: Khurshid

External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid on Tuesday backed Union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde's statement on "Hindu terrorism" saying it was based "entirely on facts" made available by investigative agencies. He, however, said that terror has no religion and colour.

"Let me just say this to you very clearly that our stated position, that is shared fully by the home minister and past home minister, is based entirely on facts as the investigative agencies have made available to the government," Khurshid told reporters in New Delhi.

Unfazed by the Bharatiya Janata Party's demand for sacking Shinde for his statement, Khurshid said "The attempt to divert attention and to push it in a particular pre-meditated direction by some people was obviously repudiated by the information that was available with the home ministry and that is the context in which all these statements are made."

Shinde had earlier this week stoked a controversy by accusing the BJP and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh of conducting terror training camps and promoting "Hindu terrorism".

'Terror has no religion or colour'

Defending Shinde, Khurshid said one should not be looking at finer notions of what should be and can be said at any given time.

"I think core understanding is that there are elements who want to use some cover of pretence and some cover of allegation against other groups to continue on their nefarious and unwholesome activities," he said when asked about Mumbai attacks mastermind Hafiz Saeed and Lashkar-e-Tayiba trying to exploit Shinde's statement.

Khurshid underlined that any form of violence that is propagated by extremists of any kind, irrespective of religion is what is dangerous for India.

"Terror does not have religion. We have said this very clearly. And religion should not be associated with colour. This we have said very clearly. It is terror that we have to fight. Terror directed against India that we are fighting."

He said those are the facts available to the home ministry on which the government has been consistently making the statement.

"I think we should not be distracted by a phrase here or there frankly. The intention, the commitment, the determination is what clearly matters," he said.